Zhao Shiyu looked at the bottle in her hand with hesitation.
“Can this really be applied to the face?”
The main concern was that Qin Su had made it herself.
It was a typical unlicensed homemade product, and it belonged to the cosmetics category.
Naturally, she worried that it might trigger an allergic reaction.
Her skin was particularly sensitive.
She barely dared use skincare products, because even a slight mistake could leave her face covered in red rashes.
Qin Su said, “You can test it on your hand first and see how it works.”
After a pause, she added, “It’s based on an ancient formula I found. I tried it myself, and it’s quite effective.”
Since it was, after all, a gift given out of kindness, Zhao Shiyu accepted it in the end.
She decided she would first test it behind her ear.
If there was no allergic reaction, then she would give it a proper try.
She had to admit that nowadays, being attractive gave people an advantage in many aspects of life, especially when looking for a job.
Zhao Shiyu asked, “Have you found an internship for the summer yet?”
Once the new semester began, they would be seniors.
Many of their classmates had already started searching for internships during the summer break.
Zhao Shiyu was one of them.
Qin Su answered casually, “I’m going abroad for a few days first. I’ll think about work after I come back.”
She had no intention of pursuing a career in this field anyway.
Although being a simultaneous interpreter paid fairly well, the income was nowhere near enough to support her cultivation.
She would be much better off becoming a master of metaphysics instead.
After thinking it over, Zhao Shiyu felt there was no need to worry about Qin Su’s future.
Whether Qin Su continued writing novels or worked as a beauty blogger, she could earn a considerable amount of money either way.
Qin Su casually brought up the final exams.
“By the way, how did you do on your finals?”
The final exam results for all subjects had only been released the previous week, and students could check their grades through the academic affairs system. Before the exams, Zhao Shiyu had devoted all her energy to studying, and the results did not disappoint her. She had scored above 90 in all five subjects, with her highest score being 98.
Qin Su patted her forehead.
“Oh, the results are out already? I’ll go check.”
She immediately logged into the website on her phone, entered her student ID and password, and quickly pulled up her grades.
Looking up, she smiled faintly.
“Not bad. My lowest score is 96, and my highest is 99. The exams were easier than I expected.”
Zhao Shiyu silently picked up her drink. Her expression remained calm, but inside she was screaming.
No! They weren’t easy at all!
At the same time, a trace of disappointment surfaced in her heart.
Perhaps some people were simply born with greater talent for languages than others.
Even though Qin Su had neglected her studies for over two years, with just a little effort she had already caught up to her.
…
After finishing afternoon tea, Qin Su returned home to pack her luggage.
Her suitcase mainly contained a change of clothes.
As for the talismans she had prepared in advance, she stored them inside Qianjin’s stomach.
She also planned to keep the jade she bought later inside Qianjin as well, to avoid trouble during airport security checks.
However, she reminded Qianjin not to actually eat any of it.
Since she didn’t have much to pack, she finished quickly.
Once everything was ready, she was about to spend the rest of the day cultivating before getting up early for the airport the next morning when her phone suddenly rang.
The caller was Cui Mingyu.
He was the nephew of Elder Cui, whom Qin Su had met previously at the artifact shop.
Since Qin Su was unfamiliar with M Country, traveling there would be inconvenient in many ways.
The Cui family happened to be in the jewelry business and traveled to the jade public auction every year.
So Qin Su had contacted Elder Cui, who then gave her his nephew’s contact information.
This year, Cui Mingyu was the one leading the Cui family’s delegation to purchase jadeite rough stones in M Country.
Perhaps because Elder Cui had already spoken to him, Cui Mingyu was exceptionally courteous.
He even offered to pick her up the next morning, drive her to the airport, and fly there together with them.
With him around, Qin Su felt much more at ease.
At the very least, she would know where to buy rough stones.
During the call, Cui Mingyu also explained various precautions she should keep in mind.
Qin Su listened attentively.
Zhang Yunqi looked on with envy.
“I’ve never been abroad before.”
Qin Su replied, “You can come along too. You don’t need to buy a plane ticket or apply for a passport anyway.”
Zhang Yunqi shook her head.
“No, I’ll stay home and watch the house.”
Qin Su clapped her hands.
“Oh, right. Since you’ll be here alone, I should leave you a few things for self-defense.”
If this had been the Immortal Realm, the worst item Qin Su would have given her disciple would have been a spiritual artifact.
Unfortunately, all she had left from before was a pair of Mandarin Duck Shears. She couldn’t even produce a decent magical artifact, something she found rather embarrassing for the senior disciple of the Langfeng Sect.
She could only make do with talismans.
Taking out five talismans, she explained,
“These two are Five Thunder Talismans, this one is a Immobilization Talisman, this one is a Fire Barrier Talisman, and this one is a Mount Tai Talisman. Use them if you encounter danger.”
The Mount Tai Talisman could transform earth into a mountain, making it an excellent defensive tool.
After a pause, she took out a stone and spoke solemnly,
“This is an Echo Stone. Inject your spiritual power into it, and it’ll activate.”
“This is your trump card. Unless you’re facing mortal danger, don’t use it.”
“Oh, and when you activate it, seal your five senses first so you don’t get caught in the blast.”
The Echo Stone came from the Immortal Realm and functioned much like a modern voice recorder.
It was another item Qin Su had found inside Qianjin’s stomach.
Recorded within it was Tu Qing’s singing.
Even Qin Su couldn’t withstand it, much less anyone else.
It was truly the kind of ultimate weapon that could kill anyone who stood in its way.
Zhang Yunqi asked curiously,
“What kind of trump card is it?”
Qin Su lowered her voice.
“Tu Qing’s signature song.”
Zhang Yunqi instantly became solemn.
The feather-light Echo Stone suddenly felt as heavy as Mount Tai in her hands.
She swore with utmost seriousness that she would never use this weapon, comparable to a nuclear bomb, unless she was in genuine mortal danger.
…
The next day, Qin Su and the others arrived at the airport an hour and a half early.
After checking in their luggage, they sat in the departure lounge waiting for their flight.
Tu Qing was completely absorbed in a mobile game.
Unfortunately, she was spectacularly clumsy at it, dying over and over again.
Watching her repeatedly fail in the strangest situations, Qin Su couldn’t help wanting to laugh.
“Qin Su.”
A woman’s unfamiliar voice called from the distance, accompanied by the crisp clicking of high heels.
Qin Su looked up to see a woman in a beret walking toward her.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, wearing a white chiffon blouse paired with a bohemian-style skirt.
Her gaze swept over the woman’s ordinary features, and she was certain she had never met her before.
“What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
The woman smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits.
Qin Su simply nodded in greeting.
She genuinely had no idea who this woman was.
Tu Qing asked softly,
“Is she your friend?”
Qin Su hesitated.
She didn’t even know the woman’s name, so she certainly wasn’t a friend.
Her hesitation only made the woman’s face stiffen with anger.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down.
As if that were even possible.
Tian Xiaoyuan felt that after not seeing Qin Su for some time, Qin Su had become even more irritating.
Both of them were top authors on Yunhe Novel Network.
They had even attended the annual authors’ conference together three times.
Yet Qin Su had always acted so aloof, as though Tian Xiaoyuan wasn’t even worthy of her attention.
And now she didn’t even remember who she was.
This was simply too insulting.
She had to be pretending on purpose.
Tian Xiaoyuan refused to believe her own writing was any worse than Qin Su’s.
Qin Su had only become more popular because she was beautiful, and because her ex-boyfriend had promoted her. Combined with the marketing angle of being a beautiful female author, that was how she had gained such fame.
Qin Su could effortlessly sell adaptation rights for one work after another.
Meanwhile, Tian Xiaoyuan had talked until she was blue in the face without managing to sell even a single one.
It wasn’t until a few months ago, when the film and television rights for Qin Su’s novel North Star fell through, that Tian Xiaoyuan’s own novel caught Director Zhou’s eye and successfully secured an adaptation contract.
Only then had she finally been able to hold her head high.
Thinking of that, Tian Xiaoyuan finally felt the frustration in her chest ease a little.
Someone who had gotten ahead by relying on her looks and a man was hardly worth dwelling on.
She removed her hat and asked,
“Are you traveling somewhere?”
Qin Su replied, “Just taking a trip to M Country.”
The smile in Tian Xiaoyuan’s eyes deepened.
“What a coincidence. So am I.”
“Looks like we’ll be traveling together. We can keep each other company.”
She took off her hat, ran a hand through her hair, and continued,
“I’m going to visit the filming set, broaden my horizons, and buy a few rough stones for fun.”
She said casually,
“My novel Emerald Eyes was fortunate enough to catch Director Zhou’s attention. Since it’s about jade gambling, they’re filming some location scenes in M Country.”
Anyone could hear the smugness in her voice.
Only then did Qin Su remember that Tian Xiaoyuan was also an author on the same novel platform.
Smiling, she said,
“Then congratulations. You finally managed to sell your adaptation rights.”
Those words struck Tian Xiaoyuan like a knife, and she nearly coughed up blood.
Forcing a smile, she replied,
“Thank you. I also wish your new novel’s adaptation rights will sell soon.”
As though suddenly remembering something, she adopted a concerned expression.
“A while ago, I had a master read my fortune. While he was at it, he also taught me a few basics about metaphysics.”
“He mentioned that if someone’s birth chart contains both Chou and Wei, it forms the Three Punishments with the Wu Xu Year, bringing one misfortune after another.”
“I remember your birth chart is like that.”
“No wonder you’ve had such terrible luck this year. Not only did you break up with your boyfriend, but your career hasn’t been going well either.”
“I’m sure things will improve once you get through this year.”
“Don’t blame me for being blunt. I’m only saying this for your own good.”
“How about I give you that master’s phone number? You can ask him to help dispel your bad luck.”
Qin Su raised an eyebrow.
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“Since you’re being kind enough to warn me, let me return the favor.”
“There’s a red mole near your temple, which indicates misfortune during travel.”
“The area around your nose is darkened, which suggests impending disaster.”
“So you’d better be extra careful on this trip.”
“If I were you, I’d simply cancel the flight and stay home for a while.”
Although Qin Su wasn’t skilled at fortune-telling based on birth charts, reading faces was well within her abilities.
She was only giving a kind reminder.
It definitely wasn’t revenge.
Hearing those words to her face, Tian Xiaoyuan could no longer maintain her smile.
She glared fiercely at Qin Su.
Tu Qing sighed with admiration.
“Susu is such a nice person.”
“You even gave her a free face reading and repaid hostility with kindness.”
Qin Su nodded in agreement.
“Mm, I think I’m beautiful and kind-hearted too.”
Tian Xiaoyuan was so furious she nearly toppled over.
She tossed her head and stormed off.
Perhaps because she was walking too fast while wearing high heels she wasn’t accustomed to, she had taken fewer than ten steps before twisting her ankle.
She fell hard onto the floor, smashing her lips against the cold tiles until her mouth filled with blood.
Qin Su calmly remarked,
“See? I told you so.”